Chapter 7
Chapter Seven
W hen Hallie volunteered to stay at Sweetie and Decker’s house and watch over their dogs, she hadn’t realized how spoiled those dogs were. George Strait was a finicky hound dog who only ate refrigerated dog food that came in a long plastic tube Hallie had to slice, chop into pieces, and then heat in the microwave because George didn’t like it cold.
Dixie Chick, a tiny Chihuahua mix, ate the same food, but she didn’t care if it was cold or hot. Or even cut into chunks. Something Hallie learned when she left the roll of food on the counter while she used the bathroom and returned to find Dixie on the counter feasting away. She assumed the dog had jumped from a nearby kitchen chair. But maybe the little Chihuahua had scaled George and used his head as a springboard.
George would do just about anything for Dixie. He followed her around like she was the petite princess of his universe. She whined, he whined. If she barked, he barked. If she took a pee by a bush, he took a pee on the same bush. George would be snoozing in the shade of the tree in the front yard and Dixie would prance over and stare him down until he opened one bloodshot eye. Then he’d jump up like he’d been electrocuted to give her his spot.
Dixie did the same thing to Hallie the first night she’d slept there. She stood over her with her buggy-eyed stare and her doggie breath hitting her in the face. Hallie had assumed the dog needed to go out so she’d gotten out of bed. As soon as she did, Dixie had hopped onto Hallie’s pillow, curled up, and gone back to sleep. Before Hallie could move Dixie back to the foot of the bed, George lumbered over and plopped down in Hallie’s spot. Hallie had spent the rest of the night trying not to fall off the sliver of bed the two spoiled dogs had left her.
Today, after a full day of working on the ranch with little sleep, she wasn’t feeling real hospitable while fixing the dogs dinner. She cut off two slices of dog food. Without chopping them up or heating them in the microwave, she flipped the slices into George’s and Dixie’s dog bowls.
“Figure it out. You’re lucky you don’t have to hunt your own food like your ancestors.”
A deep chuckle had both the dogs and Hallie startling and turning. Jace stood there, his broad quarterback shoulders almost touching either side of the kitchen doorway. The evening sun shining in the living room window behind him lit up his blond hair like a full halo.
But he wasn’t a perfect angel. He looked tired and needed a haircut and a shave. It was too bad his disheveled appearance didn’t take away from his golden boy good looks.
“Hey, George. Hey, Dixie.” He crouched to greet the dogs that were jumping and spinning around with joy. Once he’d given them plenty of attention, he glanced up at Hallie. “Hey, Teeny Weeny.”
As she looked into those smoky-blue eyes, her stomach took a dip. Which made her scowl. “You aren’t going to stop calling me that, are you?”
A grin tipped one side of his mouth. “Nope.”
She rolled her eyes and turned around to put the dog food back in the refrigerator. Her stomach still felt a little off. Assuming the tingling feeling was hunger, she took out a package of ham and another of Havarti cheese. “So what are you doing here? Last time I talked to Sweetie, you were in Houston being ‘the sweetest little helper in the world.’ Her words. Not mine.”
He laughed. “I think I could have figured that out. Decker is doing much better so Sweetie asked me to come check on things here.”
Hallie turned around, the scowl back in place. “I told her I was staying here. Why would she want you to come check on things? Didn’t she think I could handle a couple dogs by myself?”
He held up his hands. “Don’t yell at me. I’m just the sweetest little helper.” He moved closer. Too close. Her heart started thumping and her breath caught.
“What are you—?”
He reached around her and grabbed a slice of ham from the open package.
The last slice of ham.
“Hey!” She slapped his hand and he dropped it. Both dogs charged toward it. Dixie won. Probably because George stopped in his tracks when he realized his princess wanted it. Hallie watched Dixie inhale the slice without chewing before she glared at Jace.
“That was the last slice of ham.”
He cringed. “Sorry.” He glanced at the dog bowls. “Do you have any more of that bologna?”
“That’s not bologna. It’s highfalutin’ dog food. Help yourself. Those finicky dogs won’t eat it unless I chop it up in little pieces and heat it in the microwave.”
He studied the dog food. “Are those peas and carrots in it?”
“Yep. My sister, who was raised on a ranch where you just pour food in a trough and let the animals go at it, is now preparing gourmet meals for her two spoiled dogs. It’s crazy.”
Jace glanced at the dogs that were looking at Hallie with pleading eyes. “I don’t know about that. Look at those faces. They look as hungry as I am.”
She released an exasperated sigh. “Fine. I’ll chop up their food and warm it.” She picked up the bowls, then glared at Jace. “But you’re on your own.”
He rubbed his hands together. “Lucky for you, I happen to know my way around a kitchen.”
As it turned out, he did know his way around a kitchen. He took the cheese and whipped it up with eggs to make a fluffy scramble that Hallie inhaled like Dixie had the ham slice. When she finished, she glanced up from her plate to find Jace watching her with an odd expression on his face.
“What?” she asked.
“Nothing. I just forgot what it was like to see a woman enjoy food.”
“Let me guess, the women you date order half salads with lite dressing and no croutons.”
“Pretty much. Although I haven’t been out on a date since—” He cut off abruptly, but she knew exactly what he’d been about to say. She didn’t know why her face heated. She didn’t blush. She never blushed.
She jumped up and carried her plate to the sink. “That wasn’t a date. It was a mistake.” She waited for him to agree and turned when he didn’t. His gaze was lowered like he’d been checking out her behind. Which wasn’t good. It wasn’t good at all. Nor was the heat that moved from her face to the rest of her body when his smoky gaze lifted.
They studied each other for a long tension-filled moment before Jace got to his feet and grabbed his hat. “Well, I probably should get going.” He carried his plate to the sink. “It looks like you’ve got everything in hand here.”
“Where are you headed?”
“Back to Houston.”
She was surprised. Now that Decker was on the mend, she thought Jace would be heading back to his mama’s in Galveston. Or Mexico where his mama had said he’d been. Obviously, Decker’s brush with death had made him realize how important family was.
It had made Hallie realize it too.
She no longer felt resentful about losing her job and being stuck living at home. She was grateful she’d been here for Sweetie and Decker.
She was also grateful they had Jace.
He’d stayed with Decker every night at the hospital so Sweetie could go back to the hotel and get some sleep. He played cards with Decker and wheeled him around the hospital when he got antsy. He rarely left Decker’s side. Which probably explained why Sweetie had insisted he come back and check on the house. She’d probably wanted him to get a break from the hospital and a good night’s sleep.
Sweetie wouldn’t have thought anything about Jace staying in the same house with Hallie. She thought they were just friends. And they were. They just needed to be reminded of that.
“It’s too late for you to drive back to Houston tonight,” she said. “You can stay here.”
Jace’s eyes widened before he shook his head. “I don’t think that’s a good idea, Hallie.”
She rolled her eyes. “Not with me. I’ll head back to the ranch.”
“Oh.” His face flushed bright pink and she couldn’t help laughing.
“What? Did you think I wanted a repeat with the great Jace the Ace?”
His blush deepened and he cleared his throat. “Sorry. I just . . .” He ran a hand through his hair and then squinted out the kitchen window. “Things have been a little uncomfortable between us.”
That was putting it mildly. “Yeah. I know what you mean. I guess having drunken sex will do that to people.”
He laughed. “Yeah. I guess so.”
She hesitated before she spoke. “You want a beer?”
He looked at her with surprise before he shook his head. “I’ve sworn off drinking.”
She figured she knew why. “One beer. No tequila.”
“In that case, I’d love one.”
After she got them each a beer, they headed out to the front porch and sat in the rockers. The night was hot and humid. Which explained why the dogs refused to join them and instead stayed in the air-conditioned house.
She held up her beer and toasted the air. “To late summer in Texas. Hell couldn’t be hotter.”
“Amen to that.” Jace set his beer on the railing and tugged off his boots before peeling off his socks. Then he picked up his beer and propped his feet on the railing. “That’s better.”
It was hard to keep her gaze off those bare feet. They were long and broad with the second toes just a tad longer than the big toes.
“Damn, I love this porch.” His words pulled her attention away from his feet. “I used to sit out here most nights in the summer. Nana and Papa would sit in these rockers and my mama would sit in that cushioned chair over there while me and Decker would perch on the railing like a couple of scrawny birds. We didn’t talk. We’d just sit and listen to the crickets and cicadas . . . the clicking of Nana’s knitting needles.”
“I remember how much your grandmother loved to knit. She knitted me and Noelle hats with bear ears one year for Christmas.”
Jace laughed. “She knitted me and Deck one too. I was seven at the time and refused to wear it because I worried my friends would laugh at me.” He paused. “My daddy didn’t help matters by teasing me when I put it on.”
Hallie glanced over at him. “I was sorry to hear about your daddy.” His father had died of cancer when Jace was a sophomore in college. When she’d heard the news, Hallie had thought about calling him. But then she figured he wouldn’t want to hear from his ex-girlfriend’s sister. Now she wished she’d made the call.
He shrugged. “It wasn’t like we were close.”
“He was still your daddy.”
He didn’t say anything for a long moment and she started to change the subject when he spoke. “You know what broke me up the most when I got the news of his death?” He hesitated for only a beat before he continued. “I was never able to live out my fantasy of me being this famous pro football player and him coming to a game and begging for my forgiveness. After yelling at him about all the pain he caused me and Mama, I’d forgive him and we’d hug. Years later, once I was done with football and married, he’d show up at my house and we’d toss the football back and forth like we did when I was little.”
Hallie could no more stop the tears from welling into her eyes than she could stop the half moon from rising over the trees. She might not always get along with her daddy, but she knew he loved her. She didn’t know what she’d do if she lost him. She had come close when Hank had had his heart attack. She had been so scared she wouldn’t be able to tell him that she loved him. And yet, once he’d recovered, she still hadn’t told him.
She swallowed the lump in her throat. “I’m sure if your daddy was still here, he’d be proud of the man you became, Jace.”
“Doubtful. I’m not that good of a man.”
She glanced over at him. “A week ago, I would have agreed with you. You were one sorry selfish mess. But it looks like you’ve pulled your head out and realized there are things much more important than your ego.”
“Almost losing someone you love will do that to you.” He took a sip of beer, then tipped the bottle to look at it. “Damn, that’s good. What kind of beer is this? It doesn’t have a label.”
“Because it’s homemade. I brewed it.”
“You’re kidding.” He took another sip. “This is awesome, Hallie.” She couldn’t help the pride that welled up inside her. “Your boss was an idiot to keep you from brewing beer.”
“Something I intend to prove. I’m going to start my own brewery. Corbin has already said he’ll invest in it.”
“Wow. That’s great. Where? In Austin?”
She nodded. “Corbin’s helping me come up with a business plan. In exchange, I’ve been helping him learn ranching.”
“Well, he couldn’t ask for a better teacher. You’ve always been an amazing cowgirl.”
She glanced over at him. “My beer is awesome. I’m an amazing cowgirl. Why are you brownnosing me, Jace Carson?”
He shrugged. “Just telling the truth. You weren’t just good at ranching. You loved it. Of all your sisters, you were the one I thought would take over the ranch.”
Hallie propped her boots next to his bare feet and took a sip of beer. “Yeah, well, you thought wrong. Corbin is going to hire a foreman to run it. Daddy has proven he can’t successfully run the ranch. Not only because of his poor business decisions, but also because of his health. After his heart attack, the doctors don’t want him to have a lot of stress. And Corbin’s smart enough to know he doesn’t have enough experience.”
“What about Rome? I thought he was going to buy the land at one point and merge the Holiday Ranch with his.”
“That was the plan, but his daddy has given him much more control over the Remington Ranch, and with Cloe being pregnant, Rome has decided that taking on another ranch will be a little more work than he wants.”
“I can see where it would be. The Remington Ranch is one of the biggest ranches in Texas. I’m sure Rome and Casey have their hands full.” He took another sip of beer. “But it’s a shame. I bet he has a lot of ideas on how to make the Holiday Ranch more successful.”
“I have a lot of ideas on how to make the ranch more successful.” She didn’t know where the words had come from, but it was too late to take them back. Jace turned to her.
“Really? Like what?”
She didn’t know if it was the sincere interest she read in his eyes or her need to verbalize things she’d kept in for too long, but once she started talking, she couldn’t seem to stop. She talked about changing the herd from longhorn to Angus and using all the land her daddy had bought to go totally organic grass-fed beef. She talked about building new stables and adding thoroughbred horses to their livestock.
She knew Jace was exhausted, but he didn’t act it. He listened intently and asked a lot of questions. Jace had always loved ranching. It was a shame he hadn’t loved it as much as football. He would have made a good rancher.
The dogs whining to be let out made her realize she’d been rambling like a fool. She jumped up to let them out. Once they were sniffing in the yard, she looked back at Jace.
“I’m sorry. I’m sure you didn’t want to listen to all my crazy ideas.”
“I don’t think they’re crazy. Have you told them to your father and Corbin?”
“No, and I won’t. They’ll think I’m interested in running the ranch when I’m not.”
Jace stood and moved only inches away. She hadn’t turned on the porch light, but she could still see him clearly in the moonlight that spilled across the porch. “Are you sure about that, Hal?”
Yes seemed to get stuck in her throat as she stared into a face she had known all her life. Same intense gray eyes. Same perfectly straight nose. Same mouth that tended to smile with only one side. The feeling she’d felt that morning when she’d woken up in his arms washed over her. The feeling of being with someone who understood her . . . maybe better than she understood herself.
There had never been an earthquake in Texas that Hallie knew about, but at that moment, the porch boards seemed to shift beneath her boots and she no longer felt like she was on stable ground. She felt off-balance and unsteady. She didn’t like it. She didn’t like it at all.
She gave herself a sharp smack on the cheek. When Jace stared at her with surprise, she shrugged. “Mosquito.”
The surprise left his eyes and he grinned his lopsided grin. “Did you just kill a bug, Teeny Weeny? The girl who used to catch moths with her bare hands when they flew into the house and carefully released them back outside. You cussed me up one side and down the other when I was going to kill that spider that landed on me.”
“It was a good spider.”
“No spiders are good spiders. Especially when they’re crawling on my arm. Now let me see how badly that ol’ mosquito bit you.” His fingers brushed beneath her chin, lifting her face to the moonlight.
If she had thought the earth moved before, it was nothing compared to how it shifted now. She felt like she was getting ready to tumble right off into space and the only thing keeping her tethered were the calloused fingers rested beneath her chin.
A tremble raced through her.
Jace’s gaze snapped up and locked with hers. There was confusion in the gray depths of his eyes for only an instance before he must have figured out that mosquitos weren’t to blame for what was going on with her.
He was.
His lips parted in a puff of beer-scented breath. “Hallie?”
She wished she had an answer to his question. But she didn’t. She didn’t have a clue why she felt like a whirling house in a tornado. She didn’t know why her heart thumped so madly. Or why she couldn’t seem to draw in a full breath. Or why her gaze lowered to his lips and she couldn’t pull it away.
She knew those lips. She knew them well. She knew they could be soft and gentle or rough and hungry. She wanted to feel them again. She wanted it more than she had ever wanted anything in her life. When his head tipped and his fingers drew her closer, she knew she was about to get her wish. She was inches away from those lips when George and Dixie came racing up the steps of the porch and pushed between them.
The distraction brought her out of whatever weird trance had possessed her and she backed down the steps.
“I should get going. We get up early on the ranch.” She cringed at how stupid that sounded. “Anyway . . . there’s more beer in the fridge if you want it and plenty of food for the dogs. And whatever you do, don’t let Dixie get to your pillow.” She lifted a hand in an awkward wave. “See ya, Jace the Ace.” She almost made it to her truck when he stopped her.
“Hallie.”
She turned and saw him standing only feet away, his eyes reflecting the moonlight . . . along with her own confusion.
“It will get better,” he said in a husky whisper. “We just need more time to forget.”